My forum is at www.myforum.com/forums
I have a near identical test site in a password protected folder:
www.myforum.com/testforum
The database on the testforum is what my forums looked like about six months ago. So it is missing any content newer than six months. Otherwise, it is identical, same version vbulletin, same mods installed. I use it to do testing, such as of new mods.
This is PW protected via cpanel on a Hostgator shared server, if that matters.
I understand that PW protecting a directory keeps the google and other SEO bots out. This is important because I don't want two near identical sites up, which would lower my SEO ranking, correct?
But when I was in the testforum today after logging in with the PW protection, I noticed 30 "guests" in my forum, obviously not humans, must be 'bots. I thought the PW protection kept them out?
(Note: there was a brief period today when I had issues with the PW protection on my server, so there were a few hours where this directory was not PW protected. Did the 'bots all sneak in while the door was open for a few hours, or is this an ongoing thing? If so, what does it mean that these 'bots are inside my testforum?)
I just went back and logged into the PW protected testforum again and there were 27 guests in there.
I have a near identical test site in a password protected folder:
www.myforum.com/testforum
The database on the testforum is what my forums looked like about six months ago. So it is missing any content newer than six months. Otherwise, it is identical, same version vbulletin, same mods installed. I use it to do testing, such as of new mods.
This is PW protected via cpanel on a Hostgator shared server, if that matters.
I understand that PW protecting a directory keeps the google and other SEO bots out. This is important because I don't want two near identical sites up, which would lower my SEO ranking, correct?
But when I was in the testforum today after logging in with the PW protection, I noticed 30 "guests" in my forum, obviously not humans, must be 'bots. I thought the PW protection kept them out?
(Note: there was a brief period today when I had issues with the PW protection on my server, so there were a few hours where this directory was not PW protected. Did the 'bots all sneak in while the door was open for a few hours, or is this an ongoing thing? If so, what does it mean that these 'bots are inside my testforum?)
I just went back and logged into the PW protected testforum again and there were 27 guests in there.
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